Samuel and Margaret Irvine Todd are pleased to announce the marriage of their daughter Sarah Armina Todd to Joseph Russell Donaldson, son of William and Catherine Scott Donaldson. Joseph and Sarah were married 19 November 1862 in Pittsburgh, Frontenac, Ontario.

We really do not know much about this family in terms of personality. We do know a few things about their lives from documents left behind. I thought I would write this article in hopes that other photos may be found, but at least I can share this picture of Joseph and his second wife, Agnes.

Sarah Armina Todd was born the first of five children born to Margaret Irvine and Samuel Todd 13 April 1839 in Cape Vincent, Jefferson, New York. We think the family had just barely arrived from Ireland. The family then settled in Pittsburgh where her father worked as a blacksmith and farmer. We also believe Margaret was of the Irvine Clan in Northern Ireland, but have yet to verify any of that. We do not even know if Margaret and Samuel knew each other before leaving to emigrate to Canada. They may have met in the United States or on the ship over the pond. No pictures of her to date have appeared, hopefully one will arise at some point.

Joseph Russell was born seventh of nine children we know of born to Catherine Scott and William Donaldson 12 April 1836 in Bredie, Tyrone, Northern Ireland. We still have to confirm the exact location, but this is from family history sources stretching to Joseph and Sarah’s sons. Joseph’s parents emigrated to Joyceville, Frontenac, Ontario we believe around 1842. We have yet to verify much of the information related to this family. I have posted some information on Joseph’s sister, Mary Hutton. I have also made mention of Joseph’s double nephew, William John.

Anyhow, Joyceville and Pittsburgh are about 1.25 miles apart and it is easy to imagine how Joseph and Sarah met. Both families were in the area long enough they were probably well acquainted with each other and the myriad of cousins living in the vicinity. However they met, the two were married in Pittsburgh in 1862 and went on to have eight children. Joseph worked as a farmer his entire life in the Pittsburgh area.

Margaret Emma Donaldson was born 6 February 1864 in Joyceville and died 11 June 1916. We do not know where she died or if she ever married.

William Scott Donaldson was born 18 June 1865 in Joyceville and died 12 September 1913 in Ogden, Weber, Utah. He worked for the Union Pacific Railroad, which took him west. There he met and married Mary Elizabeth Williams. I have written of their life at this link: Donaldson-Williams Wedding.

Samuel Gordon Donaldson was born 23 February 1867 in Joyceville and died 22 October 1933 in Cleveland, Cuyahoga, Ohio. He married Catherine Joyce 18 January 1899.

Joseph Russell Donaldson was born 15 September 1868 in Joyceville and died 19 October 1922 in Toronto, York, Ontario. He married Mary Elizabeth Connell 1 May 1899 in Joyceville.

George Donaldson was born 10 October 1871 in Joyceville and died 8 December 1943 in Watertown, Jefferson, New York. He married Florence Martha Carey 9 January 1896 in Clayton, Jefferson, New York. Here are photos of their family.

Sarah Gertrude Donaldson was born 15 July 1873 in Joyceville. We do not know anything really more about her other than she married Harry Joseph Houghton 22 April 1903. As far as we can tell, they moved to Lakewood or Cleveland in Cuyahoga County, Ohio.

Harriett Edith Donaldson was born 10 September 1875 in Joyceville. We do not know anything more about her other than she married Arnold Lovell 25 July 1903.

Robert John Donaldson was born 26 July 1877 in Joyceville and died 24 May 1878 in Pittsburgh.

Sarah then died 4 October 1880 in Pittsburgh and was buried in the Sandhill Cemetery in Joyceville.

Joseph remarried 15 July 1891 in Ernestown, Lennox and Addington, Ontario. We do not know a whole lot about her other than it appears she was born 14 June 1842 in Quebec and died 20 February 1925. Her parents are listed on her death certificate as Henry Quirts and Ann Jane Farquar. The family used the name of Henry Quirt and Ann Jane Farquhar. Dunlop was the name of a previous husband, Robert.

Unknown, Joseph and Agnes Donaldson, Hattie Lovell, Unknown

When retirement came, Joseph moved to Kingston, Frontenac, Ontario. It is here we presume he met Agnes. He lived in Kingston until he passed away in that city 19 January 1925. He was buried next to Sarah in Sandhill Cemetery in Joyceville.

Archibald and Sarah Waddell Hutton are pleased to announce the marriage of their son Francis Osborne Hutton to Mary Donaldson, son of William and Catherine Scott Donaldson. Francis and Mary were married 7 January 1862 in Frontenac Township, Ontario.

I have previously written of Mary’s brother, Joseph Russell Donaldson, who is my third great grandfather. My cousin, Mark, stumbled upon these pictures so I thought I would make them available.

Francis and Mary had eight children which I will list what I know below.

William Osborne Hutton born 29 March 1863 in Pittsburgh, Frontenac, Ontario and died 27 June 1930 in Lethbridge, Alberta. He married Mary Christine Gillis (1870-1958) 1 June 1893 in Fort MacLeod, Alberta.

Nancy Etta Hutton born 6 February 1866 in Pittsburgh and died 27 April 1956 in Lethbridge. She married David James Whitney (1861-1936) 23 May 1886 in Pittsburgh. She remarried after David’s death to Newton Parsons in 1940.

Archibald Hutton born 14 February 1868 in Pittsburgh and died 24 May 1946. He married Emma Flora Todd (1878-1953) 9 June 1897 in Joyceville, Frontenac, Ontario.

Francis Henry Hutton born 27 March 1870 in Pittsburgh and died 14 March 1937 in Lethbridge. He married Lillian May Sinclair (1887-1977).

James Alexander Hutton born 30 May 1972 in Pittsburgh and died 5 May 1938. He married Mary Loney (1881-1963) in 1902.

John Albert Hutton born 14 November 1876 in Pittsburgh and died 25 December 1967 in Grand Forks, Yale, British Columbia. He married Sarah Mary McLean 15 September 1909 in Whitmount, Frontenac, Ontario.

Ernest Stafford Hutton born 4 March 1879 in Pittsburgh and died 29 July 1916 in Calgary, Alberta. He married Mabel Rosemont Keeler.

Mary Elizabeth Hutton born 2 February 1883 in Pittsburgh and died 18 May 1968. She married Francis Orton McLean (1884-1956) 30 January 1907.

A cousin of mine, Mark Donaldson, took this picture of a painting of William John Donaldson. It is not often I get a copy of some quality pictures, this is one that has more characteristics worth sharing. The painting does not look like it has weathered time well either.

This painting is of William John Donaldson. He was born 14 May 1849 in Pittsburg, Frontenac, Ontario and died 11 January 1936 in North Bay, Nipissing, Ontario. He is the son of Samuel Donaldson (brother of my Joseph Russell Donaldson) and Agnes Allan. This makes him the 1st Cousin of my William Scott Donaldson.

This picture was commissioned in 1915 by the County. I don’t know which County of Ontario. Apparently he was a warden.

Like this:

David and Gwenlliam Williams are pleased to announce the marriage of their daughter Mary Elizabeth to William Scott Donaldson, son of Joseph and Sarah Donaldson. They were married in her parent’s home in Slaterville, Utah on 2 Oct 1890.

William is currently employed with Union Pacific Railroad as a conductor in Ogden.

The couple will make their home in Ogden.

The farther you get back on some of these family lines, the less we know about the individuals and their lives. This really is unfortunate. If they had kept journals, or recorded some of their thoughts and at least given us some history, how much the richer we would be. Look at how much a few sentences written on the back of this old photograph tell us that we would not otherwise know!

The back of this photograph has the following written on it. “[illegible] master (??) held this photo for about 46 or 48 years then gave it back to me for a keep sake. when she left for California to make her home. she was 70. taken in 1891 we lived in Evanston Wyo. Donaldson was Union Pacific Conductor. Mary Elizabeth Williams Donaldson. Born apr 7th 1869 on Wall ave. between 24th and 25th street. Just South of the Brigham Hotel in the old home. Daddy sold the old home to Barnard White. William Scott Donaldson Born June 18 1865 Cape Vincent Jefferson county New York.”

I assume the writing is by Mary herself since there is a reference of the photo being given back (William died in 1913). But then why would she refer to her husband as “Donaldson” in reference to his work? The details given of the birth and its location with the references of “Daddy” selling the home makes me think it is safe to assume this is written by Mary herself and the language is probably a norm of the time.

The reference to the Brigham Hotel (called the New Brigham Hotel on the National Registry) is interesting because that building is still there at 2402-2410 Wall Ave. No homes still exist in that block. We knew she was born in Ogden, but from that little note, we now know which block of Ogden. I have written about her parents at this link: Williams-Jordan Wedding.

The writer on the photograph indicates that the Donaldson family lived in Evanston, Wyoming in 1891. William George was born 23 Aug 1891 and David Delos 26 Mar 1894, both in Evanston. (Read more about David’s family at this link: David Donaldson Family) Mary may very well have been pregnant in the photo. The photo was taken in Ogden or Park City as the bottom of the photo tells us that is where Adams Bros (and ride an elevator!) was located. The family then moved to Park City, Utah where Joseph Ellis was born 28 Aug 1896 and Irvine Todd on 11 Jun 1898.

On 11 Jun 1900, the family lived at 2270 Moffatt’s Lane in Ogden. Moffatt’s Lane is no longer the name of the street, it was renamed between 1910 and 1920 as Ogden Avenue. William is still a conductor for the railroad. On 20 Apr 1910, the family lives at the same address and William indicates to the census taker he is now a plumber and owns a shop. William and David are both listed as apprentices, and I assume both are for their father. Somewhere in all this, he also had a confectionery store, of which we have one picture but no other information.

William Scott died 12 Sep 1913 of bladder cancer at Dee Hospital and was buried in the Ogden City Cemetery on the 14th. He was barely over 48 years old. The death certificate indicates William was the owner of a plumbing business.

William Scott was born 18 Jun 1865 in Joyceville, Frontenac, Ontario, Canada. His mother was born in Cape Vincent, Jefferson, New York. You can read more of his parents and siblings at this link: Donaldson-Todd Wedding. As far as we can tell, all the children were born in Joyceville. He did mention on both the 1900 and 1910 Censuses though that he was born in New York. Maybe this was to claim his privileges as an a U.S. citizen. Who knows. He is not found on the 1880 Census presumably because he is in Canada. Several of his siblings also finally show on the 1900 Census in New York and Ohio, but his father and mother lived their entire lives near Joyceville or Pittsburgh, Frontenac, Ontario, Canada. His venture west most likely came with his employment by the railroads. He did not join the LDS church until 1911. His son John Edmund joined in 1910, Joseph Ellis the same day as his father, and William George and Samuel Alvin within the next 4 years. The others did not join (although David Delos obituary says he did).

Mary probably grew up near where she said she was born. She was the oldest child (that lived) of 10 children. The census taker in 1880 described the home as on the railroad grounds in Ogden. The block where she said she was born is very near the Union Station and may have qualified as the railroad grounds. The original station which was built in 1869. No street or anything else, just on the railroad grounds. The 1870 census does not give any indication where the family lived other than in Ogden. The last two children were born in Slaterville (1881 and 1885). The marriage record indicates in 1890 that Mary was a resident of “Slateville”. The 1900 census records do not tell us where in Slaterville. Mary’s mother, Gwenlliam Jordan Williams died there in 1900. When David died in 1911, he was back in Ogden living at 3256 Wall Ave (this home is gone).

Mary remarried 11 Jul 1918 to Anthon Edward Peterson. The family still lived at 2270 Ogden Ave in the 1920 census. The four youngest still living at home. By the time the 1930 census arrived, Anthon and Mary were living at 541 Washington Ave, which house I believe is still standing. Anthon and Mary would remain together until he passed away in 1942.

All accounts of Mary is that she was stern and cold. Her grandson, David William Donaldson (Dave), indicated that she was snooty, high-minded, and a brat. Apparently she was very condescending and negative in every interaction. After Anthon Peterson passed away, she sought to move in with her son, David Delos Donaldson and family. The offer was apparently there to take her in for whatever years she had remaining. However, Dave was not having any of that and indicated that if she moved in, he moved out. This was between 1945 and 1948. She ended up not moving in because of Dave.

Back l-r: David, Ellis, Edmund. F: George, Todd, Alvin Donaldson

Mary remarried 20 Nov 1945 to Thomas William Stoker (a cousin of mine on a different line). They remained together until she passed away of old age 29 Mar 1951 in Ogden, just shy of 82. At the time, Thomas and her were living in Huntsville.

I thought another entry would be in order. A few notes of interest first.

Tonight I again played Dr. Abbott in Squash. Do you know how humbling it is to be whooped by a 60 year old man in Squash every week? He is an orthodontic professor at the Dental School Amanda attends. Anyhow, it is not all bleak. I beat him 2 of 6 tonight, and 2 of 6 last week. One of the games tonight was a complete shutout. He did not make a single point! Yeah, I am getting my game back. It just doesn’t seem very impressive against a 60 year old!

For the family history plug, I have two miniature miracles to give. Family history is one of those things that just keeps on giving.

I received an e-mail from a Juan Jose Breuer Moreno in Buenos Aires suburbia. Instantly the Breuer name in his name had my interest piqued. Well, he was sending me an e-mail about family history. Come to find out, we are exactly 6th cousins.

Going back far enough, I had a set of great something grandparents whose last name was Breuer. We are talking they were married in Kirchheim, Prussia on the 22 Jul 1777. Their daughter, Anna Catharina Breuer would marry a Wilhelm Jonas. A name that would come down through the years to be my mother’s maiden name.

Anna Catharina Breuer had a half brother named Carl. That is Juan’s ancestor. So I have officially opened communications with a relative who lives in Argentina. Who would have ever thought I had ties to Argentina by blood? I look forward to learning more about the family. I do recognize that he lives in an area called San Isidro, which is a very affluent area. It is also an area with heavy ties to the government there. It will be interesting to learn of their history and if perchance it ties to the history of Argentina.

He tells me he has a full time genealogist working for him. I wish I could afford someone to help out in the old East Germany! Luckily this line comes from Rheinland which does make it somewhat easier, besides the language barrier. At any rate, just what I have seen so far, this genealogist is very thorough and appears to have ALL the information one could want in relation to dates and places for important events. I am especially interesting in learning what he has for the ancestors of the Breuer line, for what I have only goes one more generation (to1720). Hopefully he has opened up a whole load more.

For another little miracle. I received an e-mail from a lady who was inquiring about Sarah Amelia Donaldson from Ontario Province, Canada. I always knew my Donaldson’s came to Utah via Ontario Province and Ireland. So I looked into my records to find I did have a Sarah Amelia Donaldson.

I responded to her e-mail but alas, it was not the same one. It is not uncommon to get e-mails that end up not taking you anywhere.

Oddly, a few days later, she e-mailed me back and said she had the strangest story (I don’t know the details, so I am assuming quite a bit here). That she had told her mother that I have a different Sarah Amelia Donaldson. Her mother made the comment that she had some records on that Sarah.

Her mother went and dug out a packet of papers. At some point in the past, a lady knocked on the door with this packet. She knew that her mother was related to the Donaldson family and left the packet with her. For what reason, I am not sure. She didn’t know what to do with it, it was any relative of hers so she stuck it away.

Here I come with a different Sarah Amelia, and this lady offers to scan all the pages and e-mail them to me. I can tell you that I have received over 100 e-mails of scanned documents on my Donaldson family. Granted one brother many years ago moved to Northern Utah and started my line. But as far as I can tell, all the rest remained in Frontenac Township of Ontario Province. She sent me scores of documents providing children, families, and information on families I had not traced too much. (It is a line I have wanted to pursue, but have not). She gave me information that traced this line of the Donaldson family across Canada to British Columbia, Alberta, Manitoba, and Saskatchewan. These are lines that would have been difficult to establish noticing how much they moved about. One line even goes to the Seattle area.

Well, I have made it through about half of the e-mails. I have to admit, I am a bit tired of opening e-mails and inserting the information, but what a treasure of information. Some of the family group sheets are very complete with all the dates. Others just have names, and I will have to hunt down more on them at some other time.

But I am grateful to have added a good score of family to the file. There is plenty more to go. I am sure of that. Just information I need to round out what she gave me would keep me occupied for a good while.